So, we have a desktop that has just been besieged by malware and takes forever just to boot up. We could take it to a Geek Squad or something that would cost an arm and a leg. But I'm curious if anyone has used one of those online "Clean my PC" programs or anything like that.

Do those things work? Any advice for getting my PC back to working condition?

(edited by AWArulz on 4.12.14 0015)We'll be back right after order has been restored here in the Omni Center.

That the universe was formed by a fortuitous concourse of atoms, I will no more believe than that the accidental jumbling of the alphabet would fall into a most ingenious treatise of philosophy - Swift

Originally posted by thecubsfanIf possible, download those programs on another computer and move them over via thumb drive. Sometimes those malware will try to block your ability to even download those programs.

THIS.

Also, what operating system are you using?

As Cubs suggested, put CCleaner and Malwarebytes on a thumb drive. Access an Administrator account using Safe Mode (without networking) and then run both programs. That should do the trick.

But yeah, rinse and repeat.

I've only used GEEK SQUAD once and I was so disappointed in their service, it inspired me to learn how to do all this stuff myself.

I would also recommend doing a fresh install. As extreme as (and as much work) that may be, it will guarantee that you have a virus free system. Just make sure you have installs for all of the programs you need.

And in some cases, I've found it's comparable in time to running a bunch of cleaners, etc.

Originally posted by LeroyI would also recommend doing a fresh install. As extreme as (and as much work) that may be, it will guarantee that you have a virus free system. Just make sure you have installs for all of the programs you need.

And in some cases, I've found it's comparable in time to running a bunch of cleaners, etc.

A good idea, but I would imagine trying to get the stuff off the computer may be a pain if it's a chore to boot up.

You can often boot a compromised system to a Linux boot CD and then recover your files to a thumb drive from that. I've used Linux Mint most recently to do this, and it seems to support most stuff out of the box quite well. Your milage may vary.

Also, if you can live without Windows, just try using the computer from the boot CD for a bit to see if you can live with Linux Mint. I've been using it on an older laptop for the last year now and it works quite well for what I do at home (browsing, fantasy football, occasional video, etc.) but I wouldn't want to do video editing on it or anything.